A Cup of Gratitude

It’s Fall Y’all!

Ok, let’s get this out the way now! I know I went ghost on you guys and I do apologize, but I’m back! Do you forgive me?! I hope so…

Fall is my favorite time of the year; it’s like spring but without the allergies lol. I love seeing the falling away of the old in preparation for what’s to come! I plan on doing some changing myself :-).

I don’t know about you, but I get really excited when the first of the month falls on a Sunday or a Monday. It’s the perfect time to start a challenge or routine! According to science, it takes roughly 21 days to make or break a habit and since this month has 31 days there’s more than enough time to do so.  I’ve decided that I want to dedicate this month to myself by getting my health and wellness in check. I’m going to focus on mental, spiritual, physical, and financial goals.

Here’s the breakdown of my challenges/routines:

Mental/Spiritual – dedicate 1 hour a day to reading, journaling, or watching lectures to feed my soul.

Physical –  workout 30 mins a day, which can include cardio, HIIT workouts, or weight training. Taking my vitamins daily and being more conscious of what I’m eating. Oh, and of course for physical beauty, that means deep conditioning my hair, taking care of my skin, and overall just glowing up!

Financial – Save, Save, and Save some more!  I’m going to do an actual challenge for this portion.

The savings challenge that I will be doing:

You have to add on day 31, don’t cheat yourself lol.

That’s it guys! That sums up what my month will entail. Along with these few challenges, I will be proactively working on my business ventures and ideas. We’ll talk about what those are later. Also, I’m thinking of adding a vlog portion to this blog.  As much as I enjoy writing, it’s not the most convenient thing for my life right now. I’m not sure if I want to create a whole YouTube channel but I do know that I want to find a way to connect more frequently. Tell me what you think.

If you want to join me on my October health and wellness journey, let me know. Do you have a challenge or routine that you have been wanting to start? Let’s do it together! Tell me about them in the comments.

til next time…

 

I’m FREEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!! Ok, not really – but almost lol.

The other day, my son’s teacher sent home a calendar stating that Wednesday (today) starts the countdown to the end of the school year. Talk about good news! I’m looking forward to the first Monday when I don’t have to wake up at the crack of dawn to get him ready for school. I have so many things I would like to do this summer – I’m sure I’ll share them with you all in another post.

I’m trying to not get too excited just yet. See, the end of the school year doesn’t just signal the beginning of summer, but also that half the year has come and gone. I know you’re probably thinking “What’s the big deal?” Well, this is the perfect time to reassess where you are on your goals for 2017. You didn’t give up, did you? Good, because there is still plenty of time to get those things accomplished.

Just a quick PSA: if being inconsistent is the only thing you’re consistent at, well good luck lol. Just kidding! But seriously, slow progress is still progress! Don’t get discouraged if you’re not where you thought you would be by now; get to work.  Look at your list you wrote at the beginning of the year (start one if you don’t have one) and check off the things you have already accomplished. The second part of this reassessment should be creating new short term goals and deadlines to get you closer to finishing your goals.

I can honestly say that as of today, I have completed at least half of the goals on my list! I’m constantly working on completing the other half, it’s not easy. “Overcoming all obstacles” is my go-to mantra, try it, it works!

I would love to know how far you all have gotten on your list! What’s your next step?  Feel free to let me know in the comment section.

’til next time…

Really… It’s March already???

I just wanted to pop in and say Hi! I really missed blogging and honestly can’t believe I didn’t make one post last month, smh. I’ve been working so hard trying to stay on task with my goals for 2017 that I let February slip away from me. It is the shortest month of the year, so I get a pass, right?

I don’t know about you all, but February was a jam-packed month for me. I had a handful of birthdays to remember and celebrate, including my husband’s and Amari’s (he turned 1!). I also took two road trips – the first to Detroit and the second to Mobile to meet up with my middle school bestie! Finally, I started a hobby that I have decided to turn into a business! I’ll tell you guys more about it in a “debut” post. Oh, and don’t let me forget regular mom/wife life.

I’m starting this month off playing catch up, but no worries – I’ll be springing into action in no time (see what I did there? lol). I don’t want to make this post long, so let me fill you in on a few of my plans for this month:

• Spring cleaning
• Household projects
• Debut business – I’m in the process of creating business cards and social media pages!
• Getting summer time fine duh!

Tell me what’s on your spring to-do list in the comments. Til next time…

It’s two weeks into the new year – by now, hopefully, you have put some thought into the things you want to accomplish this year. This is the year to put yourself first. Don’t let anyone make you feel like you should put off your goals and dreams any longer.  Whether it’s starting your own business, making a career change, or going to school, just do it. However, there are certain measures that should be taken before jumping into something new. Research should be at the top of the list.

Don’t try and reinvent the wheel – do the research. Decide what it is that you want to accomplish, and make a plan that works for YOU. Look up the tools needed to be successful. If you’re trying to start up a business, take the time you will need to get everything in order into consideration. You want to have everything in place before your debut date. Study your competition, learn what makes them successful. If you’re looking to change careers or start school, find out what paperwork you need to get in order and if there are any deadlines you need to meet. Refresh your resume, complete certifications, maybe even brush up on certain skills.

Even though I started this blog on a whim (well, not really) I knew I wanted to start it, but the date was constantly being pushed back. I did a great amount of research. I read countless articles on how to start a blog. I looked into different hosting sites and read their reviews. Once I knew for sure I was going to start this blog, I took a pen and notepad and wrote down what I wanted to accomplish with this blog. Who was my target audience? What message was I trying to convey? Once I answered those questions, I did it! I was nervous and a little unsure, but I took to my laptop and wrote my first blog post.

There’s nothing wrong with experiencing doubt and fear; it’s natural, but don’t let it knock you off your track. Make a plan and stick to it. Set goals for yourself, both short term and long term. Hold yourself accountable, and if you don’t have that level of discipline just yet, get yourself an accountability partner. Surround yourself with those of like minds. If you’re married or in a relationship, tell your partner your plans and ask them to encourage you along the way. If you don’t have a significant other, tell your family, friend or maybe join a group on social media. Even though this is a personal journey, you don’t have to do it alone.

After you take that initial step, everything else seems to fall into place. It won’t happen overnight and you will have some bumps in the road, but keep pushing! You owe it to yourself to give it a shot. I hope this has helped give you that extra push you needed to put your plan in motion and go after what you deserve.

Let me know in the comments some of your goals for this year.

til next time…